The man with glasses sat in the middle, seemingly the "leader" they had guessed him to be.
However, this leader's life was probably not easy. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair greasy, and he looked like he hadn't had a good wash in days.
Shen Mo asked, "What is information exchange?"
The man gently pushed his glasses up and said slowly, "You can think of it as information sharing. Everyone needs to speak openly about valuable information, so that we can discuss countermeasures together. If everyone hides everything and expects others to come up with ideas, the problem will never be solved, right?"
His words rang true. Fighting alone was far less safe and effective than working together. Since ancient times, humans had solved countless problems through cooperation, which could be considered one of humanity's greatest wisdoms.
However, once there were too many people cooperating, it was inevitable that some would try to benefit from the efforts of others, or take advantage of a dangerous situation.
Bai Youwei hugged her plush rabbit and said softly, "But we don't know what kind of information is valuable…"
She suddenly spoke in such a sweet and childish voice that Shen Mo was startled, goosebumps rising on the hands that gripped the wheelchair.
Yet she still pretended to look up at him with pitiful eyes. "Brother, do you know?"
Shen Mo: "…"
He choked.
Perhaps Bai Youwei's appearance was too deceptive, because the man with glasses seemed quite receptive to it. He explained gently, "Don't worry. Since you were able to come from that direction, you must have encountered those dolls on the road, right? Anything related to the dolls, you can tell us about it. The more detailed the better. Even if it's something you don't understand, telling everyone might lead to new insights."
Bai Youwei pursed her lips and pretended to think hard.
"Well… on our way here, we met a bald uncle driving a pickup truck. He drove past the section with the dolls and nothing happened to him. So my brother and I followed behind him… But everyone after that turned into dolls. So, I think… is there a limit on the number of people? If there are fewer people, maybe we can pass safely?"
She finished speaking and looked at the man with glasses nervously. "Is… this considered valuable information?"
The man's expression softened. "It is. Your discovery is consistent with our recent observations. Come and sit down."
Bai Youwei's face showed relief, and she smiled gratefully at the man.
Seeing her enthusiasm for the act, Shen Mo could only passively play the role of a "silent" older brother, pushing the wheelchair forward without a word.
People spontaneously moved aside, making room for Bai Youwei and Shen Mo to sit. This also indirectly illustrated the leadership position of the man with glasses within this group.
Shen Mo pulled over a chair and sat beside the wheelchair.
Bai Youwei raised her innocent face and asked, "If there's no problem as long as there are fewer people, wouldn't it be safer to act alone?"
"There are all sorts of restrictions. The number of people is just the most intuitive one. There must be hidden conditions. After all, the first batch of people who turned into dolls all changed suddenly when they were alone, so it's hard to say for now."
The man with glasses paused and looked at the others. "Let's continue with the previous question. The companions who went out to scout today haven't come back yet. What do you think we should do now? Should we wait any longer?"
Everyone looked at each other, no one speaking for a while.
The man with glasses swept his gaze across the group and said in a deep voice, "There's definitely a risk if we just leave, but the water and electricity in the service area could be cut off at any time. We can't hold out for too long."
"Or…" someone hesitantly started, "Should we send a few more people to scout?"
This suggestion was immediately rejected. "Who will go? Those people haven't come back, they might be dead on the road! Who would dare to go? Will you?"
"…But we can't just wait here to die."
"Maybe there's no danger on the road, maybe they ran off first!"
"Impossible, their luggage is still in the service area…"